Cold Steel, TOPS, and blasphemy

[Shorttime]

Cold Steel's Tuff Lite has a nifty blade shape, but no steel liners.

TOPS Knives has some unique designs in their history, and although they do a good job with 1095 steel, it's not everybody's cup of tea.

I noticed that the Tuff Lite and the TOPS "Little Bugger", should feel and function in similar ways.

I don't know if this is of any interest, to anybody. It seems like a solution that's looking for a problem, because if you want a Tuff Lite with liners, a fixed blade made of high-carbon steel is probably not your idea of an "alternative". But this is the internet, and there a variety of ways that I could be wrong.

 

[Smaug]

I have a Tuff Lite, and I don't understand the obsession with steel liners. I guess it's just a perceived quality thing.

A person could NOT squeeze a Tuff Lite hard enough to affect how it opens or closes.

A CRKT Pilar is a reasonable alternative, for those who like a lot of steel. This is one SOLID chunk of steel, all the way around. But the execution isn't as good as Cold Steel's. That's a fair comparison too, since the price and size are the same. Example? The edge of the blade hits the back spacer. Also, the milled out portion of the frame to get the right tension on the frame lot has some sharpish edges, which abrade the pocket when pulling it out tip up.

Spyderco Native haven't got any quality issues like that, but they shouldn't, as they cost triple. (at least)